Prognostic relevance of androgen receptor detection in operable breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Androgen receptor (AR) is relevant for prognostication in breast cancer. Different determination methods and cut-off levels hamper interpretation and comparisons of studies. Long-term prognostic evaluation of different AR assays in patients comprising operable breast cancers is scarce.


METHODS
AR was evaluated in 120 primary tumors using the dextran-coated charcoal method (charc-AR), and quantitative immunohistochemistry (IHC) on whole sections (WS) and tissue microarrays (TMA). Nuclear and cytoplasmic-AR localization was determined, and the prognostic importance of AR assays was assessed. Comparisons and correlations with the mitotic activity index (MAI), estrogen receptor (ERalpha), progesterone receptor (PR), HER-2, and histological grade (WHO I-III) were made.


RESULTS
Nuclear-AR in WS, but not charc-AR, strongly correlated with MAI (P = 0.001). However, prognostic information appeared in univariate survival analyses only. Nuclear-AR in TMA was not prognostic. Charc-AR was independent prognostic in node positives both for relapse free survival (RFS) and breast cancer specific survival (BCSS). Both charc-AR and IHC cytoplasmic-AR provided independent prognostic survival information for BCSS in women <55 years.


CONCLUSIONS
Methods that can detect AR localized in the cytoplasm yield important prognostic information, and further studies in patients with operable breast cancer are warranted.
Søiland
Håvard
H
Department of Surgery, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.
Kørner
Hartwig
H
Skaland
Ivar
I
Janssen
Emiel A M
EA
Gudlaugsson
Einar
E
Varhaug
Jan Erik
JE
Baak
Jan P A
JP
Søreide
Jon Arne
JA
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002606:Charcoal; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D003911:Dextrans; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D008940:Mitotic Index; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D016019:Survival Analysis; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis
D002606:Charcoal; D003911:Dextrans; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human